A. Personal Statement 

My major academic interests are focused on tuberculosis (TB), specifically in the areas of drug resistant. I have been appointed as a director at the National Center for Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NCLTD) in Tbilisi, Georgia over 5 years. In my capacity I have supported development of scientific research unit in 2014 at NCTLD. Currently center conducts over 40 scientific research projects, including multicenter phase three clinical trials.  We collaborate with European and US research institutions and foundations such as: Swiss Tropical and Public Health institute, Emory University, Foundation Mareux, MSF, The Union, TB Alliance among many others.

B.  Positions and Employment

Research Positions:

Other Professional Activities

Role: Co-Investogator

DRTB-HDT                                                                                                                            Tukvadze (PI)                                                             01/01/2020-01/01/2025

Horizon 2020, European Commission

Title:Stratified host-directed therapy for rifampicin-resistant TB: a randomized controlled multi-centre trial

The goal of this project will be to determine the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of two adjunctive host-directed therapies (HDTs) in patients with rifampicin-resistant (RIF-R) pulmonary tuberculosis in a multicenter international trial. The selected HDT candidates represent two complementary HDT strategies: reducing inflammation (CC-11050) vs inducing host cell anti-microbial activity (metformin).

Role: Co-Investigator

SMA TB                                                                                                                                              Vashakidze (PI)                                                      01/01/2020-01/01/2025

Horizon 2020, the European Commission

Title: A novel Stratified Medicine Algorithm to predict treatment responses to host-directed therapy (HDT) in TB patients.

The goal of this project is toevaluate in a clinical trial the potential impact of aspirin (an anti-inflammatory HDT) as adjunct to standard therapy for drug sensitive (DS-) and MDR-TB.

Role: Co-Investigator

NCT03086486                                                                                                                        Mikiashvili (PI)                                                             11/21/2017-12/31/2021

Global Alliance for TB Drug Development

Title:ZeNix Trial

The goal of this project is toevaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of various doses and durations of linezolid plus bedaquiline and pretomanid after 26 weeks of treatment in participants with either pulmonary XDR-TB, pre-XDR-TB, or treatment intolerant or non-responsive MDR-TB

Role: Co-Investigator

Completed Research:

International Science and Technology Center (ISTC)                                                                     2016-2018

Pharmacokinetics of second-line anti-tuberculosis drugs among patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis

Role: Project Manager

Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics.    Denkinger (PI)    Tukvadze (site PI)                      2015-2017

“Accuracy and Feasibility of Xpert  (Xpert Ultra trial)”

Co-Investigator

NIH/NIAID  Vashakidze (PI)                                                                                                                  2015-2017

“Expanding global knowledge of tuberculosis by establishing the Georgia Tuberculosis Portal 2015-2017”

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Co-Investigator

NIH/NIAID K23 AI103044 Kempker (PI)                                                                                              2013-2018

Title: Intracavitary drug levels and drug resistance in tuberculosis.

The goals of this project are evaluate whether inadequate drug penetration into cavitary lesions leads to further acquired drug resistance among pulmonary multidrug resistant TB patients.

Role: Co-Investigator

Human Diagnostic Georgia Ltd. 

Evaluation of efficacy of Plasma Cluster technology for ensuring proper IC in TB Hospital                2015 - 2016

Role: Project Director

Training Program Co- Principal Investigator (Georgia);

Swiss National Fund, Switzerland-Georgia.                                                                                    2009-2012

Disability Status Assessment project

Project coordinator

Professional Membership

2014-present      Member of Phthisiologists and Pulmonologists Association of Georgia

2001 – 2004       Member of Board, Expert group on elaborating Georgian Law of High Education, Tbilisi,

2001 – Present   Member, Association of Atherosclerosis

2005                      Representative, Institutional evaluation project, Association of European Universities

2005 – Present   Board member, Association of Georgian Clinical Pathologists, Tbilisi, Georgia

2006 – Present   President, Association of Medical Education Professionals, Tbilisi, Georgia

2007 – Present   President, Association of Georgian Pathologists XXI, Tbilisi, Georgia

2002 – Present   Member, National Bioethics Council, Expert at Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs,   

                           Tbilisi, Georgia

1999 – Present   Member, Association for Medical Education in Europe

1996 – 1997       Member of Interparliamentary Group for coordinating Healthcare Systems development in  

                           Caucasian Region, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia

1994 – Present   Member, Association of Georgian Physicians, Tbilisi, Georgia

Complete list of published work in My Bibliography:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1NUtb9tjmcx5z/bibliography/public/

D.  Research Support 

Ongoing Research 

ERC-2019-AdG                                                                                                                      Tukvadze (PI)                                                             01/04/20–01/04/2025

Horizon 2020, the European Commission

Title: Linking Within-host and Between-Host Evolution in Multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The goal of this project is to explore the causes and consequences of within-host evolution in multidrug- resistant Mtb over time and across different body compartments, to look for potential trade-offs with between-host evolution during patient-to-patient transmission, and to define the role of suboptimal patient treatment and phenotypic drug tolerance on drug resistance evolution inside patients and across patient populations.